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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Extra Credit Scavenger Hunt
The 2009 comedy film "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" is set in the famed Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., but in reality many of the scenes were shot inside New York City's American Museum of Natural History (AMNA), where the main character Larry Daley (played by Ben Stiller) actually worked in the first film. This means that much of the artwork and architecture seen on display throughout the film can actually be observed at either the Smithsonian or the AMNA. The following list highlights several of the most interesting examples of artwork, animal skeletons, cultural artifacts and other displays shown in the film that actually exist in either of these two incredible museums.
These are paintings and sculptures that I noticed on display in the background, or in the case of The Thinker and Venus Italica, coming to life and flirting with one another. Also listed are the major museums and architectural monuments which were featured in the film:
Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C
American Museum of Natural History (AMNA) in New York City
The Lincoln Memorial, monument sculpture by Daniel Chester French, in Washington, D.C.
Crying Girl, painting by Roy Lichtenstein
Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, sculpture by Edgar Degas
Grant and his Generals, painting by Ole Peter Hansen Balling
American Gothic, painting by Grant Wood
The Thinker, sculpture by Auguste Rodin
Balloon Dog, sculpture by Jeff Koons
Venus Italica, sculpture by Antonio Canova
Nighthawks, painted by Edward Hopper
V-J day in Times Square, picture taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt
Sierra Nevada, painting by Albert Bierstadt
LOVE, sculpture by Robert Indiana
Portrait of President Theodore Roosevelt, painting by Adrian Lamb
London from Greenwich Park, painting by J.M.W. Turner
Skating in Central Park, painting by Agnes Tait
Untitled, abstract sculpture by Isamu Noguchi
Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte, painting by Henry Brintnell Bounetheau's
These are the interesting historical artifacts that were shown during the film, or even used by the characters:
Amelia Earhart's actual red airplane
Judy Garland's ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz
Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton
The Wright Flyer, actual airplane from Wright brother's first flights
Able the space monkey, actual monkey launched into space in 1959
Apollo 11 Lunar Rover
Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves
Archie Bunker's chair
Battle of the Atlantic The changing nature of America's involvement in World War II is an interesting strategic story because the American people were weary of war and during the time Hitler was taking over one European nation after another. After the attack on Pearl Harbor of course Americans were fully ready to go to war with Japan. But the situation in Europe was not as well defined as far as
Despite over 23,000 casualties of the nearly 100,000 engaged, both armies stubbornly held their ground as the sun set on the devastated landscape." This point is made time in again among the accounts of the battle, where historians laud General Lee's relentless fighting spirit even in the face of growing losses of precious men and materiel. For example, despite his enormous losses, General Lee continued to prosecute the battle in
No other hero is so frequently mentioned. He is the only person so important that triads are enlarged into tetrads to fit him in. (Ashe 45) The account that did the most to establish Arthur as a prominent historical figure was the History of the Kings of Britain written in 1135 by Geoffrey of Monmouth, a Welsh monk, and the book provides a history of the earliest kings of Britain,
Thomas/Updike Compare/Contrast The Fight for Life in Dylan Thomas' "Do not go gentle into that good night" and John Updike's "Dog's Death" Death has proven to be an inspiration for many poets and has been written about throughout history. These poets look at death from differing perspectives and many have argued that it should be fought against while others are more submissive to the concept. In "Do not go gentle into that
Pissarro took a special interest in his attempts at painting, emphasizing that he should 'look for the nature that suits your temperament', and in 1876 Gauguin had a landscape in the style of Pissarro accepted at the Salon. In the meantime Pissarro had introduced him to Cezanne, for whose works he conceived a great respect-so much so that the older man began to fear that he would steal his
Com). Sedate it is definitely not. We read, "Even from this distance the tower's abundant ornamentation is clear. Its Northern Italian Gothic style adds exotic elements to the neighborhood's skyline." (iboston.org). Trinity Church cannot be overlooked when examining the history and architecture of Boston. It is said, "James O'Gorman described Trinity as 'a cultural event of the first importance in American history'" (O'Gorman qtd. In iboston.org). Trinity church is significant